Confectionary package



Oct. 5, 1965 c. K. BILLEB GONFECTIONARY PACKAGE Filed June 5, 1963 INVENTOR CLYDE K. BILLEB WLIQW ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,210,200 CONFECTIONARY PACKAGE Clyde K. Billeb, Shorewood, Wis., assignor to Milprint, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 5, 1963, Ser. No. 285,802 1 Claim. (Cl. 99-180) The present invention relates to a tubular confectionary wrapper having uninterrupted front and back surfaces adapted to receive identical printed designs; and having a side seam and end seams.

The packaging of chocolate and chocolate covered candy bars for marketing through candy stores, candy counters, dispensing machines and the like presents a variety of problems. Candy bar wrappers must protect the candy from vermin, mold and other sources of deterioration to provide a maximum shelf life under widely varying conditions. The outer surface of the wrapper must also provide a vehicle for printed notices relating to the contents of the candy, identification of the manufacturer, trademarks, copyrights, patents and the like. Such a wrapper must also provide an attractive package calculated to enhance the customer appeal of the product inclosed. In addition, for purposes of storage and handling, such wrappers should be light weight and consume little space, and since these wrappers are used in large quantities on a relatively low cost item, they must be inexpensive.

In the past it has been common practice to deal with those multiple and sometimes conflicting needs by means of two or more layers of wrapping material. Also, prior wrappers used adhesives necessitating excessive use of material to provide extensive overlapping areas of contacts of the seam to insure an adequate seal without spilling adhesive material onto the candy contents. But such structure detracted from the appearance of the package and greatly limited the use of the wrapper as a vehicle for printing so that frequently only the front surfaces of such wrappers were suitable for printing and display. These disadvantages caused many problems in the display of products packaged in such wrappers, and produced a delicate package which was readily opened in the course of normal handling and storage resulting in damage to the product.

In contrast to the prior art wrappers, the present invention provides a wrapper having a single layer, utilizing a minimum amount of material to achieve the objectives of packaging more efiiectively than had been possible previously. The wrapper of the present invention is coated with a thermoplastic film permitting the use of heat sealed seams, which require only a minimum amount of wrapping material and leave no loose edges. In addition, a wrapper embodying the present invention has its side seal along one edge so that its back surface as well as its front surface will be uninterrupted and adapted to receive identical printing. Since the back and the front surface will be identical in appearance, packaging and display are greatly simplified, necessitating only a minimum of care and handling. Moreover, a wrapper of the present invention is tough and tightly sealed to provide the enwrapped product with the maximum protection.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a confectionary wrapper having substantially identical front and back faces adapted to receive identical printing.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a confectionary Wrapper permitting merchandise so wrapped to be set out for display with a minim-um effort and handling.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a confectionary wrapper requiring a minimum amount of material to package any desired piece of candy.

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It is another object of the present invention to provide a strong confectionary wrapper with enhanced protective qualities to maximize the shelf life of the product enclosed therein.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a confectionary wrapper having a concealed side seam and unobstrusive end seams.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a confectionary wrapper having seams with substantially no loose edges.

The foregoing and other objects will appear in the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which there is shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in which this invention may be practiced. This embodiment will be described in suflicient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice this invention but it is to be understood that other embodiments of the invention may be used and that structural changes may be made in the embodiment described without departing from the scope of the invention. Consequently, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense; instead, the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claim.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a view in section along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, a wrapper of the embodiment shown therein is made up of a single sheet of material, such as glassine, coated with a thermoplastic resin. This sheet is folded to make up a front panel 1 and two gussetted side panels 2 and 3 extending rearward from the front panel 1. A back panel 4, parallel with the front panel 1, extends from the edge of one of the side panels 2 almost over to the rear edge of the other side panel 3. A flap 7 extends from the rear edge 6 of the side panel 3 toward the other side panel 2, just beneath the back panel 4. The flap 7 is then heat sealed to the underside of the back panel 4. End seams 8 and 9 are formed by compressing the opposing front panel 1 and back panel 4- with the intervening gussetted side panels 2 and 3 together under heat, enclosing a candy bar 10 within the wrapper.

Unlike candy wrappers of the prior art, the flap 7 of the present invention extends only a short distance inward from the rear edge 6 of the gussetted side panel 3, and a seam is made between the flap 7 and the back panel 4 by sealing together substantially their entire areas of contact so that no loose edges remain. The position of the sealing flap 7 along the rear edge of the gussetted side panel 3, and the complete sealing of the flap 7 and the back panel 4 across their entire area of contact creates a seam that is practically invisible to the casual glance. As a result, the back panel 4 is as well adapted to receive printing as is the front panel 1. Moreover, the fact that the end seams 8 and 9 do not require excessive material which must be folded back contributes to the appearance that the front panel 1 and back panel 4 are identical. The uniform visual impression given by this wrapper per- =mits merchandise so wrapped to be set out for display in vending machines or candy counters with a minimum effort and handling, to reduce cost of handling and deterioration of the merchandise as a result of excessive handling.

Since there are no loose edges the seam between the flap 7 and the back panel 4 is far less vulnerable to separation during handling than are the candy wrappers of the prior art, which have large overlapping panels with a comparatively narrow area of seal between them, leaving large loose edges extending freely to become tangled and torn in the course of handling. Since the end seams are effected by sealing together the entire area of contact between the inside surfaces of the front panel 1, back panel 4 and side panels 2 and 3 the material required to make such end seams 8 and 9 may be held to a minimum. Hence, short, neat end seams 8 and 9 are achieved, eliminating the need for bulky, vulnerable end seals, which must be folded over the back surface of the Wrapper.

The Wrapper of the present invention thus provides not only enhanced appearance and utility with the minimum of material, but it also provides maximum protection for the enwrapped product. The seams have great strength and present no loose edges, and that the same time they efiectively seal out foreign elements and organisms which would have a deleterious effect on the enwrapped product.

I claim:

In a package containing a bar of candy, said package 20 comprising a sheet of Wrapping material coated with a thermoplastic resin and folded about said candy to form a front panel, a back panel, a first gussetted side panel joining edges of said front and back panels on one side, and a second gussetted side panel joined to an edge of said front panel on another side and having a flap heat sealed to an inside surface of said back panel so that substantially all areas of contact between said flap and said back panel are sealed together; and having end seals whereby adjacent ends of said front, back and side panels are heat sealed together.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,704,382 3/55 Kreidl.

2,715,075 8/55 Wolenski.

2,835,596 5/58 Kaufman.

2,837,267 6/58 Potdevin et al. 22968 OTHER REFERENCES Henkel: German application, Ser. No. 1,062,623, 7/59.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

